Delhi

Delhi City Information

Delhi is Situated in the Northern part of India. Delhi is a central point for the tourists either travelling to any of the North Indian states, from Jammu and Kashmir to Rajasthan and from Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi, The capital of the vast, mystic subcontinent that is India. A fine blend of old and new, ancient and modern in every stream of life is found in Delhi. History of Delhi goes back to the days of Mahabharata, when it was known as the Indraprastha. It is surprising, indeed, that since that era this city has remained the capital of the country. Delhi always ruled. Situated near the Aravali range and on the banks of the great river Yamuna, this city was the most suitable for the rulers, Tughlaq, Mughals or the British as well.

Magnificent forts and edifices of the Mughal and the pre-Mughal era and the huge architectures of the Raj era have become the pride of Delhi. These structures stand in silence watching the growing hustle and bustle of the city.

It has always been the seat of power and today it is fast emerging as an important center for corporate power too. The cosmopolitan nature of the city has only added to the beauty and glory of it. Big gardens, wide roads, ancient structures, and power of politics is what Delhi is all about.One of the oldest living cities of the world, Delhi is History and Delhi’s monuments are tablets on which history is written. Every conqueror did his best to posses Delhi and make it his capital.

The present Delhi in India is actually a combination of eight cities, which were established from time to time by the rulers. The date goes back as early as 900 B.C. to 1930 A.D. when the British completed the construction of New Delhi as the capital of the imperial India. Thus the monuments of Delhi present a various architectural styles.

Though the earliest references to the city are in Buddhist and Jain scriptures, they can not be precisely dated. In the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata, composed around 900 B.C., there us a mention of a city named Indraprastha, build by the Pandavas near the river Yamuna. This place probably was near the premises of the present old fort.

1. The first city: In the 11th century A.D. Raja Anangpal of Kanauj, a Tomar king built a f fort and established Lal Kot as his capital in the vicinity of the Qutab. This probably was Delhi’s first known city.

2. Second city of Delhi: By the end of the 12th century, Mohammed Ghori of Afghanistan invaded and occupied Delhi by defeating PrithviRaj. He returned to Afghanistan but the Lal Kot remained the capital till 1303 A.D. Later Khilji came and defeated the Rajputs at Siri and constructed the second city in the area, known as the Siri fort today.

3. The third city: The Tughlaks formed the third city of Delhi in Tughalakabad. Ghyas –ud – din Tughlak founded Tughalakabad which took four years to build but had to be deserted soon after due to scarcity of water.

4. Fourth city: Sultan Mohammed bin –Tughlak constructed the fourth city called the Jahanpanah, close to the Qutab to protect his people, living in the plains, from invaders’ attacks.

5. The fifth city: Delhi’s fifth city was founded by Feroz Shah Tughlak (1351 -88) and was named as Ferozabad. It was located in the vicinity of the present Feroz Shah Kotla.

6. Sixth city: In the early 16th century, Mughal emperor Humayun laid the foundation for the Sixth city of Delhi. It was named the Deen –Panah and was located near the banks of river Yamuna. Thus the Purana Qila or the Old Fort was erected between 1533,-1534 A.D. But Humayun was forced to flee from the fort by the invading Afghan warrior Sher Shah Suri. He beautified the fort by constructing halls and mosque inside the fort and ruled from here till 1555, when Humayun recaptured the fort and returned to power.

7. The Seventh city: Shahajehanbad or the old city, as it is known today, was founded and built by the Mughal emperor Shahajehan. It was built between 1638 and 1649. This city comprises of the famous Red Fort (Lal Qila), Jama Masjid, Chandani Chowk and contains many fine examples of Mughal architecture.

8. Eighth city: Present ‘New Delhi’ was formally inaugurated in 1931, is also known as the Lutyen’s Delhi. The British decided to shift the capital from Calcutta to Delhi and therefore summoned two British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. They were asked to design a city keeping with the grandeur of the country. This new city is today’s capital of modern India.